Belvidere wants to establish water rescue squad

BELVIDERE | Looking ahead to starting a town-based water
rescue team, police Chief Kent Sweigert recalled a
near-drowning as if it were yesterday.

Nine years ago, a drunken woman dressed in a coat and bent
on suicide struggled in the icy waters of the Delaware
River. The chief said the woman laughed at him when he told
her to try to swim to shore.

So Sweigert took the only action at his disposal and jumped
in the river after handing his weapon to another officer.
But the weight of his bulletproof vest and other equipment
prevented him from reaching the victim.

"I'm a strong swimmer but I felt myself sinking
and thought, 'I'm going to drown,'" he
recalled last week.

A man in a fishing boat saw what was going on, took
Sweigert to the woman and together they rescued her.

The chief said he never wants to be in that position again
or depend on water rescue teams from other areas.

Cost is obstacle

The chief said he has the support of town council, but the
estimated $25,000 cost for the project is a different
matter. The money would pay for a rescue boat, trailer and
related rescue equipment.

The police chief is seeking a grant from the Delaware River
Joint Toll Bridge Commission and donations from area
corporations.

He said the New Jersey State Police Marine Services Bureau
has agreed to provide free training for the chief and his
officers.

The town lies on the shores of the Delaware River and is
traversed by the Pequest River. Water rescue incidents occur
regularly, especially during the summer months when
recreational boaters are on the Delaware, Sweigert said.

The rescue team is also needed to help residents stranded
in their homes during floods, the chief said.

"There's more to police work than stopping cars and writing tickets," Sweigert said. "Our job is to save lives."...